In ice fishing, specialized poles and rigs may be used to signal the taking of a lure by a fish. Poles are often used which rest on the ice, free of contact with the angler's hands. Some species of fish, for example Perch, may exert only minute forces on the fishing line when making contact. The force of the fish tugging on the line is often so faint as to produce an imperceptible movement of the fishing pole that, when the angler does not have the rod in his hands, goes unnoticed.
There are many tip-up and other signaling devices for ice-fishing, but these usually require a substantial force on the line to produce the signaling phenomenon, and often are not well suited for light-hitting panfish.
Free-standing tip-ups such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,808,736 employing spherical weights running freely in a central bore as a counterweight to the line and lure in the water are known to the art. Devices for indicating fish bites such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,249 which are mountable on a standard fishing pole are also known to the art. Because different lures and lengths of fishing line will have differing weights, to be useful in a variety of circumstances a counterbalanced signaling apparatus should be infinitely adjustable.
What is needed is a simple bite signal indicator for ice fishing which may be infinitely adjustably balanced and which is sensitive to low-intensity pulls by fish.